natalie pulled a dress out of her drawer and put it on her head. thinking this is surely a sign that she wants to wear the dress, i put it on her. she pranced about, cute as can be. that's when i saw it.
a piece of the underskirt (?) had ripped apart from the dress and was dangling about. oh no! what shall i do?!
you think i should sew it? wellllll... ok!
( i will put a photo of the finished product here)
i love that i can say that :)
Showing posts with label yours truly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yours truly. Show all posts
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
happy birthday and dash of honesty
i re-started this blog one year ago today, which happens to be my dad's birthday, so happy re-birthday to my blog and happy birthday to my dad!
with birthday wishes out of the way, i'd like to get serious for a moment.
some of you readers have made comments about me being a super mom (or something like that), and while i thank you for the compliment and am happy to know i appear to have some parts of my life in order, i want you to know that it is sooooo not true!
the truth is, i'm figuring things out along the way, probably just like you are!
one thing i've learned from being a mom and teacher is that no two kids are exactly alike and kids behave differently at home than they do in public... sometimes drastically so, sometimes just slightly so. as a parent, i get to experience both extremes and something right about in the middle! most of the time i am happy my own kids keep me on my toes, because i feel it makes me a better teacher. other times i wish their own teachers would just take them home for the night so i could have some peace and quiet!
ever since going back to work after natalie was born i've been struggling with how to balance work and home. i find i spend waaay too much time on work stuff, but i can't seem to lessen the load. no matter how much i try to be organized and on top of things, there is just always a ton to do and if i'm not prepared, then i can't do my job and i let lots of people down. if i commit more time to planning and preparing my lessons, i spend 10 hours a day at school and my own family suffers.
i'm not complaining, just trying to explain that things are not always rosey around here. that my life is real life, no matter what it looks like on a blog.
and things are not more difficult just because natalie joined our family (currently, she's the easy one!)
i feel teaching has become more demanding over the past few years and my own kids are getting older and their needs are changing. i feel i've got the baby and toddler thing down, but pre-teen? not so much. and if you think i'm refering to taylor, he is only part of that picture. i think zach is going through a super-early, pre-teen, classic middle kid quandry. oh, the attitude! i know what you are thinking--not zachy bob?!? i know, right?!
so that may explain why i haven't been posting as much. i've just been trying to figure out where and what can be cut from my life to make things a bit easier on me. by no means do i want to cut the blog out completely... writing here makes me happy. it's an outlet. and a reminder of what we have done and how far we have come. i want to write more! and i will as soon as i can.
promise!
joe and i have been watching mad men on netflix. seeing what things were like 50 years ago... well, let's just say i am so thankful for a wonderful husband who willingly helps me out. and when neither of us know what to do, at the least we have each other to laugh with! (even though he looks super serious in this picture, he's a very funny guy!)
with birthday wishes out of the way, i'd like to get serious for a moment.
some of you readers have made comments about me being a super mom (or something like that), and while i thank you for the compliment and am happy to know i appear to have some parts of my life in order, i want you to know that it is sooooo not true!
the truth is, i'm figuring things out along the way, probably just like you are!
one thing i've learned from being a mom and teacher is that no two kids are exactly alike and kids behave differently at home than they do in public... sometimes drastically so, sometimes just slightly so. as a parent, i get to experience both extremes and something right about in the middle! most of the time i am happy my own kids keep me on my toes, because i feel it makes me a better teacher. other times i wish their own teachers would just take them home for the night so i could have some peace and quiet!
ever since going back to work after natalie was born i've been struggling with how to balance work and home. i find i spend waaay too much time on work stuff, but i can't seem to lessen the load. no matter how much i try to be organized and on top of things, there is just always a ton to do and if i'm not prepared, then i can't do my job and i let lots of people down. if i commit more time to planning and preparing my lessons, i spend 10 hours a day at school and my own family suffers.
i'm not complaining, just trying to explain that things are not always rosey around here. that my life is real life, no matter what it looks like on a blog.
and things are not more difficult just because natalie joined our family (currently, she's the easy one!)
i feel teaching has become more demanding over the past few years and my own kids are getting older and their needs are changing. i feel i've got the baby and toddler thing down, but pre-teen? not so much. and if you think i'm refering to taylor, he is only part of that picture. i think zach is going through a super-early, pre-teen, classic middle kid quandry. oh, the attitude! i know what you are thinking--not zachy bob?!? i know, right?!
so that may explain why i haven't been posting as much. i've just been trying to figure out where and what can be cut from my life to make things a bit easier on me. by no means do i want to cut the blog out completely... writing here makes me happy. it's an outlet. and a reminder of what we have done and how far we have come. i want to write more! and i will as soon as i can.
promise!
joe and i have been watching mad men on netflix. seeing what things were like 50 years ago... well, let's just say i am so thankful for a wonderful husband who willingly helps me out. and when neither of us know what to do, at the least we have each other to laugh with! (even though he looks super serious in this picture, he's a very funny guy!)
happy wednesday everyone!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
where have i been?
for the past few weeks i have been spending all of my extra time on a new project.
it all started when the principal of our school said there was going to be a little contest. apparently my competitive side isn't limited to mario kart.
for three weeks i poured my all into this project and i guarantee i wouldn't have done it if a contest hadn't been hanging over my head. it was hard.
i'm estimating i spent at least 65 hours on it. joe would probably estimate even more.
but it turned out great and... i won! so are you anxious to see what all this fuss is about? check it out here.
blogging is so much easier. i am happy to be back!
it all started when the principal of our school said there was going to be a little contest. apparently my competitive side isn't limited to mario kart.
for three weeks i poured my all into this project and i guarantee i wouldn't have done it if a contest hadn't been hanging over my head. it was hard.
i'm estimating i spent at least 65 hours on it. joe would probably estimate even more.
but it turned out great and... i won! so are you anxious to see what all this fuss is about? check it out here.
blogging is so much easier. i am happy to be back!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
from the vlog archives
in july of 2008 joe took me on a surprise birthday trip. i had no idea where we were going or what we would be doing. he planned every little detail AND managed to keep it a secret! i don't think i could have done that.
when i was searching for a video of zachary to put on his belated birthday post i came across some vlogs (video logs) of our trip. i spent about 45 minutes watching them again and again. at one point i was laughing so hard joe came into our room from the living room and told me to quiet down--warning me that i was going to wake the kids up. ha!
pretty soon he was by my side laughing with me. and in case you are wondering, neither one of us woke the kids up.
i'm not sure you will enjoy these the same way we do, but i'm confident they are good for at least a little laugh.
joe's favorite:
when i was searching for a video of zachary to put on his belated birthday post i came across some vlogs (video logs) of our trip. i spent about 45 minutes watching them again and again. at one point i was laughing so hard joe came into our room from the living room and told me to quiet down--warning me that i was going to wake the kids up. ha!
pretty soon he was by my side laughing with me. and in case you are wondering, neither one of us woke the kids up.
i'm not sure you will enjoy these the same way we do, but i'm confident they are good for at least a little laugh.
joe's favorite:
Thursday, September 22, 2011
she wrote what?!
last week i was writing some math vocabulary on the board when i realized i made a spelling error. i quickly erased it.
this is when i sigh with relief that not too many first graders are reading or paying much attention to me at this point in the year.
but i start giggling. and i can't stop.
i look over my shoulder and see 23 wide-eyed 6 year olds staring at me. "did you see what i wrote?" i asked.
nothing.
then i see the 24th student in my class with a big smile on his face. "yeah... addition fart" he says.
there's an uproar of laughter for about three minutes, beforewe i finally regain composure and continue with the lesson.
not my best first grade story, but definitely in the top 3.
if you leave me funny comments today, maybe i'll tell you my top 2 stories.
this is when i sigh with relief that not too many first graders are reading or paying much attention to me at this point in the year.
but i start giggling. and i can't stop.
i look over my shoulder and see 23 wide-eyed 6 year olds staring at me. "did you see what i wrote?" i asked.
nothing.
then i see the 24th student in my class with a big smile on his face. "yeah... addition fart" he says.
there's an uproar of laughter for about three minutes, before
not my best first grade story, but definitely in the top 3.
if you leave me funny comments today, maybe i'll tell you my top 2 stories.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
date night
last night was date night. remember how i have a goal to go on a date with my husband at least once a month until my next birthday?
we went here.
i had never been. i thought i would only see old people inside, but there were people of all ages. surprise! i don't know why i thought that.
there was a baby who kept crying out, but it didn't really sound like a baby. joe asked "was that a baby?" i said "either that or a really nasty sounding fart." ha ha!
going out without kids is always nice, but no matter how hard i try not to talk about them, our conversations always end up about a kid. or two or three or four.
joe got a salad with his meal. he said it was the best salad. then he shared. i love that guy.
see, two forks!
i ordered chicken and joe ordered a steak kabob. he even swapped rice for mashed potatoes, because that's what i wanted. then he took my picture.
awkward!
take two is better. you can't really see it very well, but i am wearing a necklace i ordered with a gift certificate i got for my birthday. one charm says "joe" the other "julie." so sweet! the necklace is from here.
after dinner we went to see contagion. it was an okay movie--not bad, not WOW. the best part was after the movie was over though. no one in the theater wanted to touch anything. people were walking without holding onto the rail, keeping their distances from surfaces and other people. some were joking about needing to cough. i know that i stopped touching my face about halfway through and trying to scratch an itch with your elbow is hard work.
looking forward to our next date!
not sure what i'm looking at? maybe that baby made another noise?
we went here.
i had never been. i thought i would only see old people inside, but there were people of all ages. surprise! i don't know why i thought that.
there was a baby who kept crying out, but it didn't really sound like a baby. joe asked "was that a baby?" i said "either that or a really nasty sounding fart." ha ha!
going out without kids is always nice, but no matter how hard i try not to talk about them, our conversations always end up about a kid. or two or three or four.
joe got a salad with his meal. he said it was the best salad. then he shared. i love that guy.
see, two forks!
i ordered chicken and joe ordered a steak kabob. he even swapped rice for mashed potatoes, because that's what i wanted. then he took my picture.
awkward!
take two is better. you can't really see it very well, but i am wearing a necklace i ordered with a gift certificate i got for my birthday. one charm says "joe" the other "julie." so sweet! the necklace is from here.
after dinner we went to see contagion. it was an okay movie--not bad, not WOW. the best part was after the movie was over though. no one in the theater wanted to touch anything. people were walking without holding onto the rail, keeping their distances from surfaces and other people. some were joking about needing to cough. i know that i stopped touching my face about halfway through and trying to scratch an itch with your elbow is hard work.
looking forward to our next date!
not sure what i'm looking at? maybe that baby made another noise?
do you make time for date nights?
what do you do on date nights?
Friday, July 29, 2011
one year ago
one year ago i was wishing desperately to go into labor and it had nothing to do with cankles.
(maybe this post should have started with a WARNING: ugly feet label?!)
i really wanted my little girl to be born in july and not in august, like her estimated due date predicted. after all, july has a prettier birthstone and we then we could share birthday month (i celebrate all month long, don't you?) well, one year ago the clock was ticking. i only had two days left.
tick-tock.
she was not born in july and the cankles only got bigger. i gained 7 pounds during my last week of pregnancy.
only 6 more days until natalie's first birthday. last year those were the longest six days. this year they are going to FLY by. eek!!
(maybe this post should have started with a WARNING: ugly feet label?!)
i really wanted my little girl to be born in july and not in august, like her estimated due date predicted. after all, july has a prettier birthstone and we then we could share birthday month (i celebrate all month long, don't you?) well, one year ago the clock was ticking. i only had two days left.
tick-tock.
she was not born in july and the cankles only got bigger. i gained 7 pounds during my last week of pregnancy.
only 6 more days until natalie's first birthday. last year those were the longest six days. this year they are going to FLY by. eek!!
Monday, July 18, 2011
35 things
have you heard of this? i first saw this a couple of years ago on another blog. the list was harder to make than i thought it would be. i look forward to checking things off though. i'll post it again next year and let you know what i did and didn't do.
35 things i want to do when i'm 35...
1. sew a pillowcase dress
2. learn to play the guitar
3. make a skirt
4. make homemade cinnamon rolls
5. go camping
6. go to the snow
7. have date night once a month
8. run a 5k
9. paint my bathroom
10. make 5 freezer meals--one for each wednesday during a given month
11. re-do hallway pictures
12. organize kids' storage bins
13. send birthday cards to family and friends
14. read harry potter, book 1, to my children
15. make another (better) rainbow cake
16. get a family picture taken
17. go out to dinner in a dress
18. eat clean for one month
19. write to sony at least every other month
20. go to seattle
21. lose 10 pounds
22. take kids to the ocean
23. organize family photo albums
24. ben's baby book--1st year
25. natalie's baby book--1st year
26. go to nevada
27. visit great grandpa
29. support darien at disney world
30. visit family in michigan
31. teach kids how to do their own laundry-ha!
32. design and make a headboard for our bed
33. go on field trips with my kids
34. tile bathroom floor
35. write a children's story
i wonder what i'll do first... :)
leave a comment with your suggestion!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
saturday
35.
that's how old i almost am.
today we had a family party to celebrate me turning 35. that's how old i will turn on monday at 11:37 am. and not a minute sooner. can't say i am crazy about turning 35. i mean, that's half way to 70.
i did have a very nice party and i loved being treated like a queen. i had yummy bbq chicken and salad and sweet potato fries. oh, and cake. i know i said i don't like cake all that much and that is still true. except for this cake...
love this photo because ben and i are blowing out the candles and taylor is yelling at us "you are blowing out UNLIT candles, you know!" (the wind had blown them out already)
this is chocolate godiva cake and it is amazing in every way and if i made it, i know it wouldn't be nearly as good. my mom has to make it. she makes it sooooo good. i have had this cake every year for my birthday for as long as i can remember... since i've been 21, anyway. see the cake balls and cake pops in the picture? those are for the little rascals. no godiva cake for them, which means i have half a birthday cake left to keep in my freezer and snack on for the next few weeks.
thank you family for the lovely evening. and a special thank you to my mom for going the extra mile and making my special birthday cake dairy free this year! :)
that's how old i almost am.
today we had a family party to celebrate me turning 35. that's how old i will turn on monday at 11:37 am. and not a minute sooner. can't say i am crazy about turning 35. i mean, that's half way to 70.
i did have a very nice party and i loved being treated like a queen. i had yummy bbq chicken and salad and sweet potato fries. oh, and cake. i know i said i don't like cake all that much and that is still true. except for this cake...
love this photo because ben and i are blowing out the candles and taylor is yelling at us "you are blowing out UNLIT candles, you know!" (the wind had blown them out already)
this is chocolate godiva cake and it is amazing in every way and if i made it, i know it wouldn't be nearly as good. my mom has to make it. she makes it sooooo good. i have had this cake every year for my birthday for as long as i can remember... since i've been 21, anyway. see the cake balls and cake pops in the picture? those are for the little rascals. no godiva cake for them, which means i have half a birthday cake left to keep in my freezer and snack on for the next few weeks.
thank you family for the lovely evening. and a special thank you to my mom for going the extra mile and making my special birthday cake dairy free this year! :)
Friday, July 15, 2011
i LOVE friday
today was a good day!
i encountered several very nice drivers on the road. wish i could say people stopped and waved me in more often. such a simple, but really kind thing to do. today it happened more than once. LOVE that.
i had coffee and a leisurely stroll with a friend. it's nice to get out sans some of my kids and have some grown up time. plus when you have cute babies with you, people usually smile when you walk by. LOVE that.
i went to the doctor and weighed less on their scale than the one i have at home. it's a doctor's scale, so it must be right. LOVE that.
i bought some baby food at whole foods and the cashier said i could go back and get two more packs... free! LOVE that. she also said my baby is cute (which she is). LOVE that, too.
i observed my children helping each other on different occasions without a grown up asking them to do it. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that!
i don't have to make dinner... it's pizza and movie night. LOVE that.
so many wonderful things crammed into one friday. i hope you LOVED your friday, too.
now tell me something good about your day.
Friday, June 10, 2011
afraid of the dark
confession time. i'm afraid of the dark.
did you ever watch this show? i couldn't watch it. when my friends watched scary things on tv, i hung out in the kitchen with the grown ups.
two nights ago i went to bed and could not fall asleep. after almost 2 hours of tossing and turning i heard a thud.
at first i thought maybe one of the kids fell out of bed. then i thought maybe one of them kicked the wall.
my mind started spinning when i heard another thud. and then another.
it's probably no surprise to you that i am not one to get up and go investigate bumps in the night. it may surprise you that i still run and jump into bed--afraid that something might reach out from under the bed and grab my foot if i get too close.
what to do? joe is already asleep. plus he just got over the flu, so i hated to wake him. but i was freaking out.
i finally decide to get up and check it out. after all, it was probably just my neighbor who likes to work in his garage until 3 am.
when i opened my bedroom door i knew right away it wasn't the neighbor. there is usually a glow coming from the direction of his home and our hallway was pitch black. perfect.
i press on; checking every door and making sure the alarm is set.
when i get to the last door, the slider leading out back, i reach behind the blinds and place my hand on the lock. only, there is something on the lock. it's wet and slimy and...
it's a slug!!
i'm going to go ahead and blame it on nerves, but i screamed. loudly.
not really the creepy thing i expected to find, but i was grateful it wasn't something worse.
and as a bonus apparently hearing bumps in the night and touching slugs in the dark is emotionally exhausting, because i immediately fell asleep after that little incident. thank goodness.
are you afraid of anything?
did you ever watch this show? i couldn't watch it. when my friends watched scary things on tv, i hung out in the kitchen with the grown ups.
two nights ago i went to bed and could not fall asleep. after almost 2 hours of tossing and turning i heard a thud.
at first i thought maybe one of the kids fell out of bed. then i thought maybe one of them kicked the wall.
my mind started spinning when i heard another thud. and then another.
it's probably no surprise to you that i am not one to get up and go investigate bumps in the night. it may surprise you that i still run and jump into bed--afraid that something might reach out from under the bed and grab my foot if i get too close.
what to do? joe is already asleep. plus he just got over the flu, so i hated to wake him. but i was freaking out.
i finally decide to get up and check it out. after all, it was probably just my neighbor who likes to work in his garage until 3 am.
when i opened my bedroom door i knew right away it wasn't the neighbor. there is usually a glow coming from the direction of his home and our hallway was pitch black. perfect.
i press on; checking every door and making sure the alarm is set.
when i get to the last door, the slider leading out back, i reach behind the blinds and place my hand on the lock. only, there is something on the lock. it's wet and slimy and...
it's a slug!!
i'm going to go ahead and blame it on nerves, but i screamed. loudly.
not really the creepy thing i expected to find, but i was grateful it wasn't something worse.
and as a bonus apparently hearing bumps in the night and touching slugs in the dark is emotionally exhausting, because i immediately fell asleep after that little incident. thank goodness.
are you afraid of anything?
Saturday, April 16, 2011
a new phase
on wednesday i entered a new phase of my life as a mom.
we were driving on the freeway, coming home from a movie, when out of the rear view mirror i caught a glimpse of the faces of my passengers. not all of the faces belonged to me.
i was behind the wheel of... mom's taxi.
in that moment i felt old. my kids are just babies! how could i possibly be driving them, not to mention their friends to the movies?
at least they didn't ask me to sit in another row. or even worse go to another theater or...
gulp.
drop them off.
guess i better grab myself a pair of mom jeans to go with my new chaufeuring business.
we were driving on the freeway, coming home from a movie, when out of the rear view mirror i caught a glimpse of the faces of my passengers. not all of the faces belonged to me.
i was behind the wheel of... mom's taxi.
in that moment i felt old. my kids are just babies! how could i possibly be driving them, not to mention their friends to the movies?
at least they didn't ask me to sit in another row. or even worse go to another theater or...
gulp.
drop them off.
guess i better grab myself a pair of mom jeans to go with my new chaufeuring business.
you tube didn't have the video, so link over to hulu (by clicking on "mom jeans" to view something special. i know you're going to be dropping hints for these as your mother's day gift this year!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
bad blogger
i have been on a blogging hiatus.
natalie's sleeping habits have taken a turn for the worse. didn't know that was even possible. think newborn schedule. yawn.
my mind has been so foggy. funny things happen and i think "i need to blog about that." but when i sit down to blog, i can't remember what it was that was so funny. so frustrating.
i'll try to get back on track. i really do enjoy blogging, so it shouldn't be too hard. right natalie?
what tricks or routines did/do you use to get your baby to sleep and stay asleep?
natalie's sleeping habits have taken a turn for the worse. didn't know that was even possible. think newborn schedule. yawn.
my mind has been so foggy. funny things happen and i think "i need to blog about that." but when i sit down to blog, i can't remember what it was that was so funny. so frustrating.
i'll try to get back on track. i really do enjoy blogging, so it shouldn't be too hard. right natalie?
what tricks or routines did/do you use to get your baby to sleep and stay asleep?
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